Also known as game streaming, cloud gaming refers to using cloud servers, rather than local devices, to run games. Essentially, the goal is to make high-end gaming experiences simpler and cheaper to access.

There are two major advantages to the cloud gaming approach. The first is that users don’t have to buy new hardware every few years in order to run the latest and greatest games. The other is that it theoretically allows users to play any game on any device with a screen and an internet connection.

Cloud gaming has been around for nearly a decade now, but it hasn’t caught on until recently. Even if early services worked pretty well, they ultimately lacked support and a user base. There were also a lot of early kinks like not supporting Wi-Fi, as internet speeds were on average too slow, even in 2012.


Gone are the days of troubled early cloud gaming services like Gaikai or OnLive. Now we live in the era of big companies like Google, Sony, and Microsoft getting in on the action. With even next-gen consoles lined-up to offer game streaming support, this is certainly where the industry is headed.